
Quantum Physics for Poets
Globe Pequot Press
Published on 6. October 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
338 pages
978-1-4930-8696-2 (ISBN)
Description
Quantum theory is the bedrock of contemporary physics and the basis of understanding matter in its tiniest dimensions and the vast universe as a whole. But for many, the theory remains an impenetrable enigma. Now, two physicists seek to remedy this situation by both drawing on their scientific expertise and their talent for communicating science to the general reader. In this lucid, informative book, designed for the curious, they make the seemingly daunting subject of quantum physics accessible, appealing, and exciting. Their story is partly historical, covering the many "Eureka" moments when great scientists-Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schroedinger, and others-struggled to come to grips with the bizarre realities that quantum research revealed. Although their findings were indisputably proven in experiments, they were so strange and counterintuitive that Einstein refused to accept quantum theory, despite its great success. The authors explain the many strange and even eerie aspects of quantum reality at the subatomic level, from "particles" that can be many places simultaneously and sometimes act more like waves, to the effect that a human can have on their movements by just observing them! Finally, the authors delve into quantum physics' latest and perhaps most breathtaking offshoots-field theory and string theory. The intricacies and ramifications of these two theories will give the reader much to ponder. In addition, the authors describe the diverse applications of quantum theory in its almost countless forms of modern technology throughout the world. Using eloquent analogies and illustrative examples, this book renders even the most profound reaches of quantum theory understandable and something for us all to savor.
Reviews / Votes
""A sparkling and articulate new account of how the quantum revolution changed 20th century science - and, as a further delight, how physics and poetry can speak the same language."- Chicago Tribune"A little gem of a book on an enormously profound and, in many ways, a mysterious subject...."- Contemporary Physics Book Review"Lederman and Hill, two very well known physicists, have written in a prose that speaks to the poet in all of us. A delightful and illuminating guide through the mysteries of the quantum world."-Gino Segre, department of physics and astronomy, University of PennsylvaniaMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Old Saybrook
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
553 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4930-8696-2 (9781493086962)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Leon M. Lederman | Christopher T. Hill
Quantum Physics for Poets
E-Book
08/2024
Prometheus
€16.80
Available for download
Persons
Leon M. Lederman, Nobel Laureate was the author of the highly acclaimed Quantum Physics for Poets and Symmetry and the Beautiful Universe (both coauthored with Christopher T. Hill), as well as The God Particle (with Dick Teresi). He had served as the editor of Portraits of Great American Scientists and a contributor to Science Literacy for the Twenty-First Century. He was formerly the Resident Scholar at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and Pritzker Professor of Science at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and he was director emeritus of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
Christopher T. Hill, PhD is the coauthor with Leon M. Lederman of Quantum Physics for Poets and Symmetry and the Beautiful Universe. He is a theoretical physicist (Scientist III) and the former head of Theoretical Physics at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
Christopher T. Hill, PhD is the coauthor with Leon M. Lederman of Quantum Physics for Poets and Symmetry and the Beautiful Universe. He is a theoretical physicist (Scientist III) and the former head of Theoretical Physics at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.